Music Video Analysis: When You Were Young by The Killers

The opening shot of the video for "When You Were Young" by The Killers shows a large white crucifix, then the camera tilts down to show a woman looking at it, wearing a dress that's the same colour as the crucifix. The idea of religion is that people use it for salvation, the video implying this is why she's at the crucifix. The landscape surrounding her, being a setting in Mexico, makes it an ideal location for heartland rock that is one of the genres of the song and shows how rural values can be associated with it. Folk music is a presence in the song as instruments such as chimes are heard, possibly supporting the imagery of the wedding dress and it highlights her emotion as well. This track is a departure from the usual style of The Killers as it leans more towards the style of heartland rock and is a different representation of a love story than they're known for ; possibly due to the use of discontinuity editing to frame the woman's emotions and the historical influences within the video. All of this shows how The Killers are targeting an older section of their target audience and because of the older age range, it could fit into my age range of people sixteen to twenty-five.

A man is seen driving in a car and this is where the first lyrics come in; "And sometimes you close your eyes, and see the place where you used to live... when you were young!" and they're heard in an echo, potentially signifying other people in Mexico going through the same issues the woman is suffering relationship issues. Discontinuity editing is introduced with the use of fast cuts that don't make it entirely clear what's going on and represent her memories in a realistic way. Heartland rock lyrics are known for being laid in a raw manner, the editing complementing this as well as the underground ethos of alternative rock.

A lot of close ups and wide shots are used throughout, wide shots mainly to reinforce rural values and the shots emphasise the drama, especially how the close-ups make the audience experience the characters' emotions. Focus pulls are another type of cinematography used, an instance of this while the man starts running up the hill towards her and the use of slow motion puts the viewer in his disorientated state of mind. He's shown to have cheated on her; adding complexity to the song. In terms of the representation of the themes, this video would have more of an underground appearance but the fact the single has sold over 200,000 copies in the UK, is representative of the genius of The Killers and this is one of the reasons why The Killers have been chosen to base a music video on. At the one minute forty mark, a band member is seen playing the guitar, setting The Killers as the narrators and adding to the weird feeling of the video.

Overall it follows codes and conventions well and the excellent portrayal of the themes means this is a useful video to follow for basing a music video.